FC Cincinnati: 'All of our work must be finalized' to ensure success, MLS bid

FC Cincinnati hopes to build a stadium on the site of Stargel Stadium in Cincinnati’s West End neighborhood.
The Enquirer/Mike Nyerges

FC Cincinnati general manager Jeff Berding speaks about a new legally binding agreement during a press conference to announce a Community Benefits Agreement between FC Cincinnati and the city to support the West End and areas surrounding the proposed soccer stadium at Cincinnati City Hall in downtown on Monday, April 16, 2018.(Photo: Sam Greene)

It appears Futbol Club Cincinnati received its marching orders from Major League Soccer this past weekend in Los Angeles, and there's still work to do before the expansion hopeful can be considered for admittance to the league.

In a Wednesday statement, FC Cincinnati officials said the team, like other expansion candidates, discussed expansion with MLS officials while attending the inaugural match at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday. FC Cincinnati owners Carl Lindner III and David Thompson, along with team president and general manager Jeff Berding, attended the meeting and accompanying match, the team said.

The expansion bid includes building a new 21,000-seat, $212.5 million stadium in the West End. A development agreement with city officials has been approved and financing has been arranged with the Greater Cincinnati Redevelopment Authority (sometimes called the port).

But a community benefits agreement with West End neighbors is not complete and hasn't been approved by the city. No money can flow to the stadium until after that approval.

"While extraordinary progress has been made, all of our work must be finalized – including various legal agreements with the City (of Cincinnati), Port, County and (Cincinnati Public Schools) and an assessment of our interim MLS Nippert Stadium plan – before our bid will be 100 percent complete for final review," FC Cincinnati officials said in the statement.

“As we continue to finalize our bid, FCC and MLS are scheduling a visit to Cincinnati by MLS Commissioner Don Garber and MLS executives, during which time they will also meet with club ownership.

“We’ve come extraordinarily far in such a short time, but before we have the opportunity to earn a place in Major League Soccer, we must have complete due diligence to ensure a success and we’re focused on that at this time. We appreciate our community's continued support of our club and our goal to bring an MLS franchise to our region.”

Corners of FC Cincinnati's fan base were hopeful last month's stadium vote on the eve of an MLS Board of Governors meeting would produce an MLS vote in favor of Cincinnati joining America's top soccer league.

No expansion vote took place, the league later revealed, although it did single out FC Cincinnati in a statement for the club's progress on the stadium front.

Pundits and observers took that league statement, along with previous statements singling out FC Cincinnati, to mean the Queen City organization remained the frontrunner for the last of two expansion spots in the ongoing round of expansion.